Tree planting promise in exchange for council tax ebilling sign-ups

People in Shropshire can now support tree planting efforts by opting to receive their council tax bills electronically.

Shropshire Council is promising to extend its existing Community Tree Scheme to plant at least one additional tree for every household that opts out of council tax paper billing and switches to council tax ebilling.

Ebilling is a convenient way to receive your council tax bill. Once registered, instead of issuing a traditional paper bill and sending it through the post, bills will be sent electronically via email.

At the moment 22% of Shropshire homes receive an ebill for their council tax. Receiving bills electronically reduces the financial and environmental impacts of producing and sending paper bills.

Gwilym Butler, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for finance and resources, said:-

“There are lots of advantages of switching to ebilling, and as an extra incentive we’re promising an extra tree planted for every household that opts out of council tax paper billing and switches to ebilling.

“Reducing the paper, printing and delivery process involved in producing paper bills also benefits the environment and supports our work to tackle climate change, helping Shropshire Council achieve its target to become carbon neutral by 2030.”

Ian Nellins, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for climate change, natural assets and the green economy, added:-

“Clearly the more people that sign up for ebilling, the more trees that will be planted; and that will have the additional benefit of supporting natural flood management and improving air quality countywide.

“As native species will be planted, we’ll also be protecting natural habitats and the wealth of biodiversity they contain.”

Shropshire Council declared a climate emergency in May 2019, and in December 2020 adopted a Climate Strategy and Action Plan, which establishes the objective of achieving net-zero carbon performance for the council by 2030.

This pledge is one of a number of commitments the council has made to help tackle climate change and mitigate its increasingly apparent impacts.

Shropshire Council’s climate action team has already:

• Powered down by improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions from buildings and transport
• Powered up by working with others to generate more renewable energy
• Saved at least 300 tonnes of carbon through the free tree scheme, which has seen more than 140,000 trees and hedgerows planted in just 10 years, and by managing council-owned land specifically for that purpose.

To be sure of receiving a council tax ebill this year sign up before Tuesday 22 February 2022. To switch to ebilling and support the tree planting pledge, visit: Paperless billing | Shropshire Council  or use the QR code:

Council tax ebilling QR code 2022